


Gridball Sunday

by essgeekay



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: 10 Heart Event, Canon Compliant, Gen, In-game Dialogue, Let's pretend the bouquet mechanic doesn't exist, Mentions of car accident, My First Work, POV Second Person, Pre-Relationship, Shane Backstory, Shane is great you guys are just mean, Silent Player, Zuzu City, gender neutral player, maybe I'll do an after as well?, mentions of minor character death, might be bad, shane is the best boy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-25
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-06-15 23:26:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15423969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/essgeekay/pseuds/essgeekay
Summary: A part of you wishes you could just sit together, on this bus, and pass the time in the peace and quiet. But another part of you knows this trip is the start of something bigger, even if both of you are still unsure what that something is.What happens on the bus ride to Zuzu City on the way to the Tunnelers Game between Shane and the Player? A brief look at the beginnings of Shane and the Farmer's relationship before their first kiss.





	Gridball Sunday

You wake up at six, just like every other day. You've long since gotten used to waking up at such an early hour, gotten used to the subtle ache in your body from the previous day of work that never really goes away. Every morning, you think, _ten more minutes, then I'll get up_. But you know there's too much work to be done to dawdle.

            You slip out of bed and stretch. Like every other morning, you flip on the TV, check the weather; it's all second nature to you at this point. Everything in Pelican Town is. You open your front door, ready to face the day, when you see him. Shane. Same messy dark hair. Same stubble. Same ratty hoodie that you've gotten used to. But something about him is different. He's so much happier these days. So much...brighter. It's not hard for his energy to rub off on you. Your heart jumps at the sight of him on your front step.

            "Hey!" He says with a nervous smile. He looks down at his sneakers then quickly looks back up at you. "Uh...so I got two tickets to the Tunnelers game tonight." He pauses, gauging your response. He shrugs his shoulders up and down, flexing his hands. You stifle a smile.          

            "If you want to come, meet me at the bus stop around 5 pm." He gives one last nod, then practically bolts off your front step. You watch him jog down the road until he's out of sight. He's so different from the man you met when you first arrived in Stardew Valley. You've never been much for Gridball; the city was always too crowded on game days, and you were always working anyways. Still, as you walk down your front steps and towards your crops, you can't help but think that 5 can't come soon enough.

 

You arrive at the bus stop at 5:02. Alex is already boarding, with Gus close behind. Pam, as usual, hangs back until everyone has boarded. Shane stands on his toes to the side of the bus, looking for you. You can tell he's a bundle of nerves even from a few feet away.

            "Hey, there you are!" He says as you make your way over to him. He wears that same nervous smile from this morning. "I'm glad you decided to come. We should get going..." Pam and then Gus step on. Shane motions to you to go on first. You feel him behind you, closer than you we expecting. He radiates warmth. You swear you can feel his breath on your neck, or maybe that's just a breeze from outside. Gus sits in the front, chatting at Pam in the driver's seat. Alex sits in the last row, earbuds in already. You make your way down the center aisle, deciding on a seat in the middle.

            The bus jerks forward abruptly, still getting warmed up after years of disuse. You're thrown backward suddenly. You try to grip the seat beside you but you're not fast enough. Shane's warm hands hold you steady before you can completely collide into him, one on your shoulder and the other gripping your waist. You look over your shoulder at him and he quickly lets you go. He looks away, cheeks turning red.

            "Let's go right here," he mumbles. You slide in to the seat beside you and Shane settles in next to you. The sun beats down on you from outside and reflects on the window, getting into your eyes. You squint to try to see the valley trailing behind you but it's too bright. You turn towards Shane. He looks ahead out the front windshield, tapping his foot rapidly. You bring your hand on his knee to stop him.

            He looks down at your hand, cheeks a permanent shade of red. "Sorry. It's a...big game, I guess." He flashes a quick smile to you then turns his gaze back toward the front. You hesitate, wondering if he would mind if you kept your hand on him a little longer. Things feel different between you two ever since he told you about his chickens. The way he talked about his future, and about Jas, made him so much more charming to you. Since that night you found him in the forest he's been trying to turn his life around, and you've noticed. You tried not to blush when Marnie told you he's the happiest he's ever been since meeting you, and were quick to correct Jas and tell her that Shane is _not_ , in fact, your boyfriend, but between the stolen glances at the Saloon every now and then and dancing together at the Flower Dance, you can't help but feel that the two of you have crossed a line somewhere.

            _Maybe this is all a big misunderstanding_ , you think, looking at Shane's profile. _Maybe we really are just friends_. He's by far the handsomest man in Pelican Town in your opinion, even if he would never believe it himself. If he could see himself through your eyes right now then maybe he would understand why your heart skips a beat every time you see him.

            You sigh, lifting your hand from his knee. You attempt to look back out the window but are blinded by the reflective sunlight. You look straight ahead, hyperaware of him sitting next to you. Your shoulder and his brush against each other. It takes all of your restraint to not look over at him again to read his face.

            He clears his throat. You turn to him again. "Did I ever tell you about Jas's parents?" You shake your head. "My sister and her husband," he continues. "They lived in Zuzu City actually. They were on their way to the Pelican Town to pick Jas up from Marnie's house. They didn't make it. Too much snow on the road and then one thing led to another. Jas was just a toddler. She had no idea what was happening. And all of a sudden I had to take care of her. I don't say this enough, but if it weren't for Marnie..." He stops and clears his throat again. "Anyway, my brother-in-law? He loved the Tunnelers. Every other Sunday they would come visit and he would just go on and on about how 'this would be the year they would win it all.' I don't know, maybe it's dumb, but when I watch the Tunnelers play...it's kind of like he's right there with me still. I guess my point is...I'm glad that you're here with me." He nods at you and keeps his head down. You don't know what to say. You grab his hand and give it a squeeze, hoping it's comforting. He squeezes back. You both look forward again, neither one letting go.

            Moments pass. You just sit in each other's company, comfortable with the silence. You know this may be the last quiet moment you have with each other before you get into town and are faced with the roaring crowd. A part of you wishes you could just sit together, on this bus, and pass the time in the peace and quiet. But another part of you knows this trip is the start of something bigger, even if both of you are still unsure what that something is.

            He squeezes your hand again then lets go. He peers out the front window, craning his neck. "We're almost there..." he says. You look over your shoulder and see Alex stretching his legs and wrapping up his earbuds. In front of you, Gus's booming laugh rings out clear over the sound of the bus slowing down. You look over at Shane with a small smile. He gulps loudly. You can't help but laugh. He looks away, mortified. "...pre-game nerves..." he mumbles.

            The bus stops and Shane stands up immediately. He moves to the aisle, letting you go first, and you and the small group of Pelican Town citizens shuffle out towards the massive stadium in front of you. You say your thank yous to Pam and turn back towards Shane. You wonder how long it will take for you to feel like you're a citizen of Pelican Town too. He holds his hand out to you. You take it, entwining your fingers in with his and you walk into the stadium entrance together. You feel him squeeze your hand, and you're swept with the sudden feeling that Pelican Town feels like home for the first time.

 

End.

             

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first fanfic ever but this idea popped in my head the other day and I decided to get it down. I love Stardew Valley and Shane has my favorite storyline so I hope I did it some justice. Maybe I'll add an "after the game" scene too if people are into that.


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